JeremyEG's Profile

I second the ground lamb. Lamb burgers with heavy spices (cumin, tumeric, garlic powder, etc) on a brioche bun can be delicious and accessible to someone who doesn't eat lamb that often. I think sometimes the leg can have a stronger lamb flavor but it is delicious. You could also do lamb stew with cubes of shoulder and cook as you would a beef stew. I made that for my dad who was reluctant to try lamb and it was all good. Good luck!JeremyEGHomeCookLocavore.com

Clams are a great thing to learn to cook because they sort of have built-in timers. When the open, they're pretty much ready. I've made them with a juts a little liquid, no liquid, and lots of liquid and it's always very good. I also use canned clams sometimes for pasta and that's fine as well. Good luck!

I would second Via Carota. Amazing vegetable dishes and I think I've now had all the pastas they've featured for the past few months and all have been great. The Negroni's are wonderful as well. Have fun!

I've been enjoying a sauce recently with pork of shallot, butter and a bit of local hard cider. I finish with butter as well and some cracked pepper but I'm sure a bit of cream would be fine as well. JeremyEGHomeCookLocavore.com

I got to visit China on an amazing food trip a couple years ago and I suggest at least trying a breakfast of dumplings and caffeinated tea. I enjoyed it so much that I've occasionally found it here in NYC because it's so appealing. I don't think most dumplings will be too strange or strongly flavored for the morning. Have a great trip!JeremyEGHomeCookLocavore.com

I live in NYC and get to go to some great wine shops. I grew up in NH though where the Liquor Stores are state-run. People tend to be incredibly pleasant there but I'm not sure I've ever met an employee that had tasted any wine I was interested in. Instead, they'll say things like 'It's decent. Definitely in the top third.' After several of these puzzling interactions, I realized they were recommending wines entirely based on the wine's previous sales. For Thanksgiving, I was looking for a cava and a woman asked if she could help me. I said I was looking for a dry and maybe yeasty cava and she smiled and said 'Yes ! You're holding #3 in the whole sparking section!"

Anyway, I can do my own research but yes, there is a differences between getting help from a small and reputable wine seller vs. a larger or more corporate operation.

Back to the OP. You might look for some Chilean SB or Pinots. I've definitely had some in that price range that were tasty and fine to drink over a long evening.

I get my coffee stuff from WholeLatteLove. I actually love talking to them on the phone too as they are serious coffee geeks and they enjoy 'counseling' people to figure out what they want/need. They actually talked me out of a more expensive grinder last year noting that it wasn't worth the extra money given the espresso maker I had already.

Good luck. I went through so many drip coffee makers over the years that had the same problems you've had and finally switched to a stainless steel french press. Good luck!JeremyEGHomeCookLocavore.com

I would guess the hand-held part is on the right track. A huge percentage of burgers sold come from fast food joints and here in the US, 20% of meals are consumed in cars so yes, I would think that that accounts for at least some of the popularity of the completely hand-held meal. Anyone know if fries were served with the same frequency pre-McDonald's?JeremyEGHomeCookLocavore.com

Partially freeze roast, then slice into slices that look something like a large julienne. Heat peanut oil in wok along with minced ginger, garlic, and chili pepper if you'd like and Sichuan peppercorns when you have them. Dust meat with corn starch and fry very quickly in the wok. Add some greens (even wilted salad works fine here). Toss together and add a splash of soy, some dry sherry, a pinch of sugar and more spice if you want it. Serve with rice.

These are great ideas. Thank you! I love 'stretching' animal proteins. Fried rice dishes, quiches, and even Indian dishes are easily made by keeping some simple condiments around, regardless of what extra protein and vegetables you have around. Don't forget to keep a bag in the freezer for bones and vegetable scraps for stock. Soup is almost always an easy meal once the stock is made. JeremyEGHomeCookLocavore.com

I had a great whole pig dinner at the Breslin for a friend's birthday. Great service, sides. wine and cocktails. I understand they have other options for groups as well. Man, that was a great dinner.JeremyEGHomeCookLocavore.com

Hey there,Mashed potatoes are fun and most people I know do not follow a recipe, partly because you're unlikely to mess it up and it's pretty easy to adjust if it doesn't taste right to you.

Peel some yukon golds and add to a pot of salted waterBring water to simmer and cook until softAdd some butter (I hate to say it, but the more, the better)Add a pinch of salt and pepper and mash with your new masherPour in some milk or cream and mash again until they look creamy. I would try to make them a little thinner than you think they need to be in the beginning as they stiffen up a bit as they sit aroundTaste again for seasoning and from here you can add minced chives or other herbs if you want. A bit of parmesan or cheddar. Think about other mashed potatoes you've enjoyed and you can probably get it pretty close at home!

Congrats on making the decision to eat well. The benefits should be great, long-lasting, and delicious.

Great suggestions so far. I suggest learning to make a couple kinds of stock. Maybe vegetable stock or chicken stock. It takes some time although it's not active time. Just a while for everything to simmer. From there, the stock can be used as a base for VERY fast meals. I sometimes toss in some leftover chicken, a couple eggs and some lemon and make a delicious Greek soup. Other nights, I might just add leftover vegetables and other nights, I'll add a bit of cream and potato. There really is no limit to what you can do with good stock around. It's also a nice base for a simple pasta dish. Cook the pasta, saute some garlic and maybe some greens and add a couple ladlefuls of stock and you've got a really great meal. Try to eat seasonally if you can as well. You have to do very little to make fresh ingredients taste good. Tonight, I just had a tomato sandwich that was special and took 45 seconds to make. :) Good luck!JeremyEGHomeCookLocavore.com

This thread is making me oh so hungry. I've seen several interviews with Michael Pollan where hosts will ask "How can you convince people to spend $5 on a dozen eggs at a farmers market, when you can get the eggs for far less as the supermarket." He always replies that he thinks two fresh, soft-boiled, local eggs make one of the most affordable and delicious meals one can enjoy. I'm so hungry now!JeremyEGHomeCookLocavore.com

I just got back from a week in Ogunquit and on the casual end, we've always loved Mikes in Wells. They fry REALLY well so the whole belly clams are a real treat. They also have a great beer list with lots of good local brews and some unusual choices as well. We've been in jeans but we also sometimes go for our 'nice' meal as well. When lobsters and steamers are done perfectly, I don't care much about the atmosphere. :) Have fun!JeremyEGHomeCookLocavore.com

Doesn't bother me at all. And even people suggesting snide or sarcastic responses to the question seem to realize that it's most likely the management that requires servers to ask it so perhaps we should cut the waiters some slack. There are also plenty of restaurants that serve knowledgeable foodies as well as people who may be completely unfamiliar with the food or menu. I frequent a Basque tapas place near me and heard a couple visiting ask how big the 'ham steak' was on the Spanish Ham Pinxto. So what if the restaurant wants to gauge how familiar the guest may or may not be with the food. It seems to be sincerely meant to help guests to have a nice experience. If you're that anxious about a 7 second interaction with someone who's about to bring you food for the evening, meditate or have a drink before you leave the house.JeremyEGHomeCookLocavore.com

I cancelled my subscriptions several years ago but prior to that, I had my own online and print subscriptions as well as several gift subscriptions for family. I started cooking more Asian foods and found the magazine less than helpful in that arena. Forget trying to learn about the subtle differences between different curries or chili peppers when the head honcho has an intolerance to all spicy foods.

Also, when I started doing cooking demos at the farmers markets, I was of course struck at how much different fresh ingredients tastes. I realize that CI assumes very average ingredients but I actually found some of the recipes involved overseasoning of proteins or suggested brining cuts that didn't need to be brined. If I'm lucky enough to have a local pork shoulder from a great farm, I'm unlikely to seek out a CI recipe. It always struck me as strange that a magazine that spends that much time trying to find the best ketchup, can't acknowledge that a tomato in-season needs to be handled different than a tasteless tomato from the supermarket in January.

I don't have the subscription anymore but I vaguely remember their intentionally making their paella recipe less authentic. That's one dish I've been lucky enough to have in Spain many times and I remember being excited to read the CI version and I can't remember now what exactly they suggested, but I remember their almost acknowledging that they didn't like authentic paella and were going to 'fix' it.

I love this! There are so many reasons that people believe they can't cook. I worked with people most of the time who are interested in cooking with local ingredients but believe they can't afford it. It's so important to get people to cook and best of luck!JeremyEGHomeCookLocavore.com

You bring up some good points. I know very little about the science of GMO's and I'm interested in learning more. I certainly do not believe that every technological advance in the food system has been good for all involved. In fact many have been environmentally devastating, even while often improving efficiency (and profit).

Furthermore, many of us do feel like we need to do additional research before deciding that a food is 'safe,' even when it's approved by the USDA. In addition to the margarine you site, I would add artificial sweeteners to the same list of foods widely thought to be harmless and even healthy at one point. I know others feel that way about some of the FDA approved drugs. In no way do I think GMO foods are dangerous in the same way, but I think it's generally a good idea to self-educate when an industry is willing to spend that much money to prevent information from going on labels.JeremyEGHomeCookLocavore.com

I know many of you have eaten at BHSB since they revamped their menu and concept, but I just ate there earlier this week and wanted to report back. In short, the prices are a bit higher, but the concept works very well and I would choose a meal at Blue Hill above one at Per Se, EMP, etc. in New York.

The technique is still rock solid. Sauces are perfect and proteins are cooked exactly right. When we dine at Blue Hill, we have no dietary restrictions and are served unusual cuts of meat like heart and brain. These can be difficult to cook properly and all were executed perfectly throughout our meal.

As others have noted, they can whisk you out of the dining room to eat a course or two in another location. I feel like some of the intrigue of the meal lies in not knowing exactly what the course will entail or to where you'll be led so I don't want to spoil the experience for others. But it was fun and they have truly perfected the storytelling part of the experience. That means you might hear about how the place learned to make homemade charcoal, or how a beer was made almost accidentally. But you'll end up hearing stories that are in no way pretentious and very much in line with the restaurant's vision of where their food comes from.

Don't forget to use Chowhound for restaurant recs! When I see a place that looks interesting, my first stop is to search for recent Chowhound write-ups. I have a pretty good sense of which hounds have palates and tastes similar to my own. I do think that the less Western the cuisine, the less helpful Michelin and Zagat's are. I have had truly stunning meals in Flushing lately and often have trouble finding mentions of those places at all on in the guides even though the restaurants are considered the best of the best for the type of food they are serving. Have fun!JeremyEGHomeCookLocavore.com